Talk About Woodville: Presents from Santa Shop always best

When my daughters were younger, one of the most anticipated school days in December was the day of the Santa Shop. Many school papers never made it from my kids' desks to my table at home, but the paper containing the details of the Christmas shopping always ended up in my hand the day that it was passed out at school.

If you are not familiar with Santa Shop, it is essentially a Christmas gift store set up at Woodmore Elementary School for one day where students are able to shop for their loved ones for the holiday season. Local businesses bring small items students may purchase as Christmas gifts.

Around my household, the girls started making lists weeks ahead of time of who to purchase for and what that person might want. Mom, Dad and the other sister were always first on the list. Occasionally, a grandparent or our cat would make the list as well. For my daughters, much thought went into what items and dollar amounts should go behind each person's name. Dad was always an easy one to think about. What do dads like beside tools and socks? Mom ? well I was pretty easy too: anything girlie, like lotion, body spray or ornaments. For their sister, any kid of toy would do. And so the wish list making continued for several days leading up to Santa Shop.

When the big day finally arrived, the girls were sent off with money and lists in hand. This was always a very exhilarating day to be an elementary student. I can only imagine how the teachers were able to contain the excitement of so many students until it was their class's turn to go shopping.

As my daughters would arrive home from school, an air of anticipation and mystery would follow them through the front door. Beaming with pride and holding bulging book bags, the kids would proceed to talk about their day hurriedly before anxiously heading toward the living room and the twinkling Christmas tree. From the kitchen, I would hear the familiar sound of wrapped packages being placed lovingly under the tree. In less than a minute, they would be done and I would be encouraged to peek under the tree. Several gifts of varying sizes would lay festively under the tree branch boughs. Santa's little helpers had struck!

Fast forward to Christmas morning when the house came alive at the crack of dawn with the sound of little footsteps racing down the steps and the whispers of excited voices at the realization that Santa hadn't missed our house and had actually visited the night before. As my daughters raced back upstairs to wake up their dad and me, they seemed to both be in competition to tell us exactly what they had seen in the 10 or 15 seconds they had taken to survey the living room and the contents under the Christmas tree. After a few lazy moments, we would roll out of bed, brush our teeth and head downstairs to let Christmas morning begin.

Among all of the many gifts that had been placed purposefully under our tree by Santa Claus himself, the gifts the girls were most excited about handing out were those items purchases at the Santa Shop. With pride on their faces and love in their eyes, they would hand us the very special gift they were able to purchase by themselves for us. The girls usually opened their gifts from each other first, and then it was our turn. One year their dad received an ice scraper that said "#1 Dad" on the handle. I remember years of candles, socks and scented lotions. There were even a few years when our cat, Bubba, received a special toy with bells or strings. No matter what was wrapped in those gifts, it was the love they were given with that was the most memorable.

Woodmore Elementary had its Santa Shop Dec. 5. Businesses from Woodville and Elmore graciously brought gift items in the $1 to $5 price range for the students to select. Many of the businesspeople and other volunteers also donated their time to help work the event and helped the students make the difficult choice of choosing just the right gift for that special someone. Thank you to the following businesses and volunteers: the Elmore Senior Center "Golden Oldies," The Mortise and Tenon, The Country Merchantile, Classy Lassy Jewelery, McDonald's, Genoa Bank, Cuttin' Loose, Bench's, Pills N' Packages, First Federal Bank and PTO volunteers.

The school appreciates all who helped make this year's Santa Shop a very special time for our students.

Woodmore Choir Concert tonight

At 7 tonight, choir students in grades five through 12 will perform a Christmas concert under the leadership of Tracey Nycz at the Woodmore High School auditorium, 333 Fremont St., Elmore. The concert is free, and all are welcome to attend.

Woodville Library

The Woodville Library will feature a Christmas break movie matinee at 2 p.m. Dec. 27. Attendees are asked to supply their own blanket for sitting on, and the library will provide the movie and popcorn. For information on this program, visit www.birchard.lib.oh.us or call 419-849-2744.

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Talk About Woodville: Presents from Santa Shop always best

When my daughters were younger, one of the most anticipated school days in December was the day of the Santa Shop.